Creating Labels Seems To Require New Permission

Creating Labels in GitHub Actions: A Guide to Resolving the "You Do Not Have Permission to Create Labels" Error

Introduction

GitHub Actions is a powerful tool for automating workflows and streamlining development processes. However, when working with labels, you may encounter an error that prevents your action from running successfully. In this article, we will explore the issue of creating labels in GitHub Actions and provide a step-by-step guide on how to resolve the "You do not have permission to create labels on this repository" error.

The Bug: "You Do Not Have Permission to Create Labels" Error

When running your GitHub Action, you may encounter the following error:

Run # Label PR.
gh: You do not have permission to create labels on this repository. (HTTP 403)
Error: Process completed with exit code 1.

This error occurs when your action attempts to create a label on a pull request, but it lacks the necessary permission to do so. The error message indicates that the action is being blocked by a 403 HTTP status code, which means that the request is forbidden.

The Solution: Adding issues: write Permission

According to the GitHub Actions documentation, creating labels requires the issues: write permission. To resolve the error, you need to add this permission to your workflow's permissions section.

permissions:
  actions: read        # Required to identify workflow run.
  checks: write        # Required to add status summary.
  contents: read       # Required to checkout repository.
  pull-requests: write # Required to add comment .
+ issues: write # Required to add label.

By adding the issues: write permission, you are granting your action the necessary permission to create labels on the repository.

To Reproduce the Error

To reproduce the error, follow these steps:

1. Create a workflow with the necessary permissions: Create a new workflow file in your repository's .github/workflows directory. Add the following permissions to the workflow's permissions section:

permissions:
  actions: read        # Required to identify workflow run.
  checks: write        # Required to add status summary.
  contents: read       # Required to checkout repository.
  pull-requests: write # Required to add comment .
  issues: write # Required to add label.

2. Add the necessary step: Add the following step to your workflow:

steps:
  ...
  - uses: op5dev/tf-via-pr@v13
    with:
      working-directory: terraform
      command: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' && 'plan' || 'apply' }}
      validate: true
      arg-lock: ${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' }}

3. Run the workflow: Run the workflow by clicking the "Run workflow" button in the GitHub UI or by using the github workflow run command in the terminal.
4. Observe the error: The workflow will fail with the "You do not have permission to create labels on this repository" error.

Expected Behavior

The expected behavior is that the job should not fail when creating the label. By adding the issues: write permission, your action should be able to create labels on the repository without encountering any errors.

Conclusion

In, creating labels in GitHub Actions requires the issues: write permission. By adding this permission to your workflow's permissions section, you can resolve the "You do not have permission to create labels on this repository" error and ensure that your action runs successfully. Remember to always check the GitHub Actions documentation for the latest information on permissions and requirements.
GitHub Actions: Creating Labels - Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored the issue of creating labels in GitHub Actions and provided a step-by-step guide on how to resolve the "You do not have permission to create labels on this repository" error. In this article, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions related to creating labels in GitHub Actions.

Q: What is the purpose of the issues: write permission?

A: The issues: write permission is required to create labels on a repository. This permission allows your action to write to the issues API and create new labels.

Q: Why do I need to add the issues: write permission to my workflow?

A: You need to add the issues: write permission to your workflow because creating labels requires write access to the issues API. Without this permission, your action will fail with a "You do not have permission to create labels on this repository" error.

Q: Can I use the issues: read permission instead of issues: write?

A: No, you cannot use the issues: read permission instead of issues: write. The issues: read permission only allows your action to read issues, but it does not grant write access to the issues API.

Q: What other permissions do I need to create labels in GitHub Actions?

A: In addition to the issues: write permission, you may also need to add the pull-requests: write permission to your workflow. This permission allows your action to write to the pull requests API and create new labels.

Q: Can I create labels in a GitHub Actions workflow that is triggered by a push event?

A: Yes, you can create labels in a GitHub Actions workflow that is triggered by a push event. However, you will need to add the issues: write permission to your workflow and ensure that the workflow is configured to create labels on the repository.

Q: How do I troubleshoot issues with creating labels in GitHub Actions?

A: To troubleshoot issues with creating labels in GitHub Actions, you can check the following:

• Ensure that the issues: write permission is added to your workflow.
• Verify that the workflow is configured to create labels on the repository.
• Check the GitHub Actions logs for any errors or warnings related to creating labels.
• Consult the GitHub Actions documentation for more information on creating labels.

Q: Can I use GitHub Actions to create labels on a repository that is not owned by me?

A: No, you cannot use GitHub Actions to create labels on a repository that is not owned by you. You need to have write access to the repository in order to create labels using GitHub Actions.

Conclusion

Creating labels in GitHub Actions requires the issues: write permission and may also require the pull-requests: write permission. By adding these permissions to your workflow and configuring your workflow to create labels on the repository, you can resolve the "You do not have permission to create labels on this repository" error and ensure that your action runs successfully.